Universal Gear Closing at 14th and Wallach – Open Through August 24th

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by Prince Of Petworth July 8, 2016 at 11:27 am 26 Comments

1919 14th Street, NW

Thanks to Jonathan for sending:

“Universal Gear closing on 14NW. Overheard that NYC store was closed so it’s an end of a brand.”

J used to be in DC

Woah
Troy

Just when the neighborhood was getting use to the option of butt out briefs and/or super thin multi-colored jockstraps. The times are a changing!
Logan Larry

I assume since David Franco and Level 2 own the building as well as Universal Gear that they have simply decided to stop trading dollars with the store and get on the high rent bandwagon. I would guess that they have somebody lined up to take the space already… the chains are on their way.
- DF
  
  Yup, I’ll put my $$ on an Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie/JCrew/etc
  - Anon
    
    It won’t be JCrew, which is moving in to that old sex club building a bit further south on 14th.
    - bll
      
      i forgot about that–do you know if that is that going to be a regular jcrew or just men’s suits? for some reason I felt as though it wouldn’t be a full service store.
      - Anon
        
        No clue, but I’ve always assumed a full store. This would be a somewhat odd location for a dedicated suit shop IMO.
      - Mickey Drexler
        
        It’s menswear only.
      - bll
        
        ah, straight from the horse’s mouth! thanks, mickey.
      - GBinCH
        
        And just like that, I no longer have any reason to go to Georgetown. Once a decent Boss opened up at City Center, J Crew was the only other clothing store I liked over there.
- cpt12
  
  maybe not quite the case if the NYC store is closing as well.
  - Duponter
    
    Sure, it could still be. I imagine there is some economic efficiency in having two stores (better deals with suppliers and the like) and going down to one makes the NY store less profitable and the calculation was, rent this location out and make more money than operating two stores.
Ghost

Good news….never really saw my self getting anything from that store.
Planner

On one hand, I am at least a little sad when any store closes.

On the other hand I interviewed for a job in business/admin side of this store, and it was the worst job hunting experience in my life. Bad enough and re-told enough that even my friends re-tell it. This was maybe 10 years ago, and it still lives on and on. Funny now, but horrible then.

So I am not so sorry about this closing, though I know that the person who interviewed me goes on and on too….
- dave
  
  dont leave us hanging – let’s hear the story!
  - Planner
    
    Maybe someday, at a happy hour….
    - Emmaleigh504
      
      tease!
lemeow

Meh.
Billy

First Dupont, now Logan – the gays are moving east!
- Bloomy
  
  +1
- Idontgetit
  
  You and Universal Gear are a few years behind.
Rich

Retail rents often have a sweetener based on sales per square foot and they may not be producing. The decision to expand when they moved here probably was not a good idea.
- Anon
  
  They are their own landlord, so I doubt any of that really applies.
  - Rich
    
    If they can make more money with a business with greater sales/square foot they easily could.
jakeO

they lost their panache and edge.. once they moved to this location.. I was just in NYC last week and the HK store was still open.. The Chelsea one had closed a year or more ago..
Reality

Bummer!!! :(

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